Parent Experiences of Undertaking Therapy for Cleft Palate Speech Disorders Following In-Depth Training

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the experiences of parents of children with cleft-related speech sound disorders who had received in-depth training, following which they were the active agents of intervention, supported by a specialist cleft therapist. Method: All parents ( N = 23) who had participated in the parent training arm of a previously published two-phase, two-center, 12-week randomized controlled trial in Dublin, Ireland, and London, United Kingdom, were invited to participate in the study. Eighteen families consented, and in three families, both parents took part, resulting in 21 participants. Sixteen parents participated in one of the four focus groups conducted in each location after each phase of the trial. Three families ( n = 5) participated in semistructured telephone interviews. Focus groups and interviews were conducted by professionals who were not involved in the trial. Results: Focus groups and interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Four main themes with subthemes emerged: growth of parents (knowledge, skills, insights, and emotional experiences), undertaking parent-led articulation therapy (bespoke program, flexibility, challenges, supervision/support), changes in the children (speech, confidence, behavior), and the future (ongoing therapy and recommendation of this approach). Conclusions: This study answered the research question, detailing how in-depth training and parent-led therapist-supervised interventions are acceptable to parents. Speech/language pathologists should encourage trained parents to take a direct role in intervention with their children, with supervision and support from therapists. Future research should investigate the experiences of parents with lower educational attainment, identify parent factors that supported implementation, and report children's experiences.